Augusta Free Press will be live tonight with the latest results from the 2013 Virginia state elections. AFP editor Chris Graham will update the numbers and offer commentary and analysis as the numbers come in for the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general races.
First sneak peak: 7:40 p.m. With about 12 percent of precincts reporting, Ken Cuccinelli leads in the governor’s race with 54,7 percent of the vote, Terry McAuliffe at 37.2 percent and Robert Sarvis at 7.9 percent. Of note: in these GOP precincts, Cuccinelli’s vote is in line with GOP lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson (53.5 percent), and Republican attorney general candidate Mark Obenshain is running well ahead of both (at 60.3 percent). This bodes well for Obenshain’s hopes to pull out a win down ticket.
The Valley Base: 7:45 p.m. Augusta and Rockingham are holding up their reputations as the most Republican counties in Virginia. Cuccinelli is getting 69.5 percent in Augusta and 71.8 percent in Rockingham.
Update: 8:02 p.m. About 30 percent of precincts reporting statewide … Cuccinelli ia at 51.1 percent, McAuliffe at 41.6 percent, Sarvis at 7.1 percent in the governor’s race. Jackson is at 50.4 percent and Northam is at 49.4 percent in the LG race. And Obenshain is at 56.6 percent and Herring is at 43.3 percent in the AG race.
Just about done in Augusta: 8:05 p.m. With 24 of 26 precincts reporting in Augusta, Cuccinelli gets 68.6 percent, McAuliffe gets 24.3 percent, and Sarvis gets 6.9 percent. Augusta is now running slightly ahead of Rockingham for Cuccinelli, who is at 67.7 percent in Rockingham.
What’s still out there? 8:13 p.m. A lot. More than half of Arlington County, which is going 70 percent for McAuliffe. Ninety percent of Fairfax County, which is going 57 percent for McAuliffe. Ninety-five percent of Norfolk’s votes, which are going 72.5 percent for McAuliffe. Eighty percent of Richmond, which is going 70 percent for McAuliffe.
Tightening at the top: 8:29 p.m. With 56 percent of the precincts statewide now reporting, Cuccinelli is at 49.1 percent, McAuliffe at 43.7 percent, and Sarvis at 7 percent in the governor’s race. In the LG race, Northam now leads Jackson, 51.6 percent to 48.2 percent. Obenshain still leads the AG race, 54.2 percent to 45.7 percent for Herring.
Looking at this right now … 8:41 p.m. Based on what’s still out there, I’m giving McAuliffe the governor’s race by a much closer margin than any of the polls had suggested, about a 60,000-vote win. And the AG race may actually be too close to call.
Cuccinelli, Obenshain still leading, Northam in command: 8:59 p.m. With 74 percent of precincts reporting, it’s Cuccinelli by 30,000 votes in the governor’s race, Northam with a 99,000-vote lead in the AG race, and Obenshain with a 71,000-vote lead in the AG race. Still out there: half of Fairfax County, which has given McAuliffe a 25,000-vote margin, Charlottesville, which will give McAuliffe roughly a 6,000-vote margin, based on current numbers, and most of Norfolk, which will likely add around 12,000 votes to the McAuliffe margin. It’s close.
The plot thickens: 9:20 p.m. With 85 percent of precincts reporting, Cuccinelli’s lead is at 9,000 votes in the governor’s race. Northam leads the LG race by 131,000. (That one is long over.) Obenshain leads the AG race by 47,000. Still only one of 10 Charlottesville precincts reporting, 16 of 50 Norfolk precincts reporting, and 77 Fairfax County precincts are still out and unaccounted for. It is close.
Tie ballgame, 9:28 p.m. The Cuccinelli lead is down to 400 votes. Still lots to be counted in NoVa, Charlottesville and Norfolk.
McAuliffe has his first lead of the night: 9:38 p.m. It’s McAuliffe by 7,000 votes with 90 percent of precincts reporting. Still more than half of Charlottesville and Norfolk, 39 precincts in Fairfax and 31 precincts in Prince William to count.
Projection: 9:41 p.m. NBC News projects McAuliffe the winner in Virginia governor’s race.
93 percent reporting, 9:47 p.m. McAuliffe with an 18,000-vote lead.
AG race will tighten, 9:51 p.m. Mark Obenshain’s lead is at 30,000 votes. Looking at what is still left to count, there’s about a 25,000-vote gain for Democratic candidates still out there. Too close to call.
95 percent reporting, 9:58 p.m. McAuliffe’s lead is at 25,000. Obenshain’s lead also at 25,000. Charlottesville has just one precinct out. Fairfax has just nine of its 239 precincts still out. Norfolk still with about half its precincts out.
97 percent reporting, 10:08 p.m. McAuliffe’s lead is 29,000 votes. Obenshain’s lead is 20,500 votes. Fairfax County is done. Still 10 precincts in Prince William, maybe another 1,000 votes to pick up there, but that’s likely washed out by the outstanding vote in Lynchburg.
Running out of votes to count, 10:20 p.m. With 98 percent reporting, McAuliffe leads by 33,000 votes, and Obenshain in the AG race leads by 18,000 votes. Charlottesville is done. Norfolk still has about 30 percent of its votes still to count. Herring might gain another 4,000 votes on the margin there. That race is over. We need to call that one for Obenshain.
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